Hot Comb - Potential Consequences

Potential Consequences

There are many potential consequences to using the hot comb:

• Burnt hair. It is not uncommon, especially when using a traditional hot comb, to burn and damage hair.
• 1st, 2nd, or 3rd degree burns on skin. A hot comb is often heated to over 150 degrees Fahrenheit, therefore if not careful severe burns and scarring can occur
• Hot comb alopecia and follicular degeneration syndrome. Hot comb alopecia is an irreversible alopecia of the scalp that occurs in people who straighten their hair with hot combs. "The hot petrolatum used with the iron causes a chronic inflammation around the upper segment of the hair follicle leading to degeneration of the external root sheath. Ultimately, the entire follicle is destroyed and replaced with a band of dense collagen, a follicular scar." In 1992, a hot comb alopecia study was conducted, and discovered was that there was a poor correlation between the usage of a hot comb and the onset and progression of disease. The study concludes that

The term follicular degeneration syndrome (FDS) is proposed for this clinically and histologically distinct form of scarring alopecia.